Many herbicides come in contact with the food we put in our body every day. From the corn we put on the grill to the bacon we fry on Sunday mornings, evidence of the use of herbicide is left behind, and consequently put on our plates.
Over generations the popularity of genetically modified or engineered food has become more common and wide spread across Western tables. Herbicides help produce more food, resulting in more money for the farmers. The conversation that comes to the table is quality over quantity, what do we value more in these modern days where we have the liberty to choose. When herbicides were first introduced they seemed like a miracle drug, the perfect solution, but has since unraveled and transformed into the problem itself.
While the use of herbicides such as Roundup hit the market in the 1970's. Designed to kill weeds and other surrounding plants known to compete with commercial crops, was quickly transformed into a staple product for all farmers. Monsanto, the original company marketing Roundup worked to develop crops that were resistant to the killing agent, glyphosate, in the Roundup, therefore killing the weeds around the crops while leaving the crops growing healthy. The introduction of crops resistant to glyphosate entered the Western world into a modern era of concerns surrounding genetically modified and engineered foods. As soon as farmers began planting the glyphosate resistant crops they could apply the Roundup herbicide to their farms in much higher volumes.
The heavy application of Roundup, kills all competing plants, and allows the farmers to yield the maximum crop production from their fields. But the crops still come to our grocery stores, our farmers markets, our tables, and most importantly our mouths with glyphosate inside. It is even reported that over 80% of the U.S. food supply is contaminated with glyphosate.
Over generations the popularity of genetically modified or engineered food has become more common and wide spread across Western tables. Herbicides help produce more food, resulting in more money for the farmers. The conversation that comes to the table is quality over quantity, what do we value more in these modern days where we have the liberty to choose. When herbicides were first introduced they seemed like a miracle drug, the perfect solution, but has since unraveled and transformed into the problem itself.
While the use of herbicides such as Roundup hit the market in the 1970's. Designed to kill weeds and other surrounding plants known to compete with commercial crops, was quickly transformed into a staple product for all farmers. Monsanto, the original company marketing Roundup worked to develop crops that were resistant to the killing agent, glyphosate, in the Roundup, therefore killing the weeds around the crops while leaving the crops growing healthy. The introduction of crops resistant to glyphosate entered the Western world into a modern era of concerns surrounding genetically modified and engineered foods. As soon as farmers began planting the glyphosate resistant crops they could apply the Roundup herbicide to their farms in much higher volumes.
The heavy application of Roundup, kills all competing plants, and allows the farmers to yield the maximum crop production from their fields. But the crops still come to our grocery stores, our farmers markets, our tables, and most importantly our mouths with glyphosate inside. It is even reported that over 80% of the U.S. food supply is contaminated with glyphosate.
"Roundup in Food: Are You Eating this Toxic Contaminant?." Mercola. Ed. Mercola. N.p., May 2014. Google. Web. 11 Mar. 2015. <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/05/20/glyphosate-roundup-levels.aspx>.
"Alert: Certified Organic Food Grown in U.S. Found Contaminated with Glyphosate Herbicide." Health Impact News. Ed. Brian Shilhavy. HIN, n.d. Google. Web. 11 Mar. 2015. <http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/alert-certified-organic-food-grown-in-u-s-found-contaminated-with-glyphosate-herbicide/>.
